Time to Plant Sweet Peas, Tomatoes for Cool Weather

To have sweet peas in bloom by the December holidays, sow seeds in the ground before Labor Day. The climbing kinds (some are very fragrant) make the best flowers for cutting. Grow in rows against a wall or fence, or in big containers, providing something for the plants to climb. Soak seed overnight before sowing.

Here’s another August opportunity where winters are mild: planting tomatoes for midwinter fruit. In a warm, protected spot that will remain sunny as shadows lengthen, put in small plants of ‘Champion’, ‘Celebrity’ or ‘Sweet 100’ tomatoes. Planted now, these varieties will ripen by Thanksgiving. Each bush will bear less than in summer, and the skins will be thicker, but who’s going to complain in January?

From the Los Angeles Times California Garden Calendar

There will be a talk on designing your garden with specialty plants by Tom Jesch, owner of DeSigned II, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sherman Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. Free. For information, call (949) 673-2261.

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Send garden announcements to Garden Events, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail to garden @la times.com at least three weeks before the event.